xiguan
ponedjeljak, 22.08.2011.
Kyle Busch beats out Jimmie Johnson, wins Pure Michigan 400
Kyle Busch finally won a race at Michigan International Speedway. Jimmie Johnson is going to have to wait a while longer.
Busch overtook Johnson with 30 laps remaining of the scheduled 200-lap race, then held him off during a green-white-checkered finish, and won Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich.
It was Busch’s first career victory at Michigan, but, more importantly, it moved him into sole possession of first place in the Sprint Cup standings — 10 points ahead of Johnson, who is still winless at Michigan after 23 starts.
“We’ve been trying so hard the last few times here,” said Busch, who was tied for the points lead with Carl Edwards entering the race. “Our (Joe Gibbs Racing) teammate (Denny Hamlin) has been able to do it, but unfortunately we haven’t.”
Brad Keselowski finished third, driving a third race despite a broken left ankle. Edwards strled all day, finishing 36th and falling to fourth in points.
Johnson nearly got his first Michigan win, but he couldn’t keep the fast-closing Busch at bay.
It appeared Johnson had gotten the break he needed late in the race, when, just a lap after he had pitted for four tires and fuel, a caution came out on lap 169 when Dave Blaney’scar slowed.
With the other contenders using the caution for their pit stops, Johnson moved to the front of the field for the restart. He quickly shot ahead of his pursuers, including Busch, who was fourth.
“Jimmie was gone in, like, three laps,” Busch said. “I didn’t think there was any way I was going to run him down.”
Busch tried to pick his spot to pass Johnson and finally got him on lap 188.
“I saw the area in which he was strling a little bit,” Busch said. “I tried to attack my car a little bit more there. When I did that, I started doing some of the things he was doing.”
But Johnson got a lifeline on lap 198 when Kurt Busch and Jamie McMurray touched, sending Kurt Busch into the wall and forcing a caution and a green-white-checkered finish.
This time, Kyle Busch, choosing the outside lane, jumped ahead and stayed there.
The victory was Busch’s fourth of the season and 23rd of his career. He’s going to enter the Chase as a favorite, although he’s never won the championship.
utorak, 26.04.2011.
NBA Trade Scenarios: Dwight Howard to LA and Best Case Deal for Every Team
Once the playoff starts, the teams around the league that are no longer playing need something new to talk about. Fans usually resort to is talking about how much they hate the Lakers, or what their team is going to do in the offseason.
This list focuses on the latter.
You know those trades that you hear rumors about, but they are almost always way to awesome to actually happen? This list is devoted to those.
These are the best case trades that each team in the NBA can make.
četvrtak, 21.04.2011.
UND HOCKEY: Kristo says he will return
The top line may be gone to graduation, but the UND men’s hockey team will have one of its most dynamic players back next season.
Danny Kristo confirmed on Wednesday night that he would return to school for his junior year rather than sign a professional contract with the Montreal Canadiens, who drafted the Eden Prairie, Minn., product in the second round in 2008.
It marked the third day in a row that a non-senior with potential to sign a pro contract decided to return to UND. All-American goalie Aaron Dell announced he was coming back on Monday and shutdown defenseman Ben Blood said he would be back on Tuesday.
“I thought about it and looked it over and obviously could have done either or,” Kristo said, “but I feel like with Dell coming back, Bloody coming back, that will be huge for us. Knighter (Corban Knight) will be back. He’s one of the most underrated players in the league. I think we will have a strong team next year and we can surprise a lot of people. Personally, there is still a lot I can accomplish.”
After a slow start to his sophomore year, Kristo turned it on down the stretch. He finished with 23 points in the last 16 games — a stretch that was interrupted for six weeks because of severe frostbite that Kristo sustained on his right toes.
Kristo finished with 28 points in 34 games.
“I feel like it was a really good season,” Kristo said. “There were a lot of ups and downs on and off the ice. I grew up a little bit as a person. Everything I went through this year will help in the future and next year for sure.”
Kristo, the 2010 Western Collegiate Hockey Association rookie of the year, figures to play key minutes in all situations for the Sioux next season. He has been a regular on the power play from the start, manning the point. He added penalty kill duties as a sophomore.
“I know I will have to produce almost every night,” Kristo said. “It will be a good challenge.”
UND now is just waiting on word from juniors Jason Gregoire, Brett Hextall and Brad Eidsness. Gregoire, a forward, is a New York Islanders draft pick. Hextall is a Phoenix Coyotes draft pick and Eidsness is a Buffalo Sabres pick.
srijeda, 20.04.2011.
Relentless Grizzlies forward Randolph has become face of promising team
There are stronger, quicker, faster and more athletic power forwards in the NBA than Memphis Grizzlies star Zach Randolph, but only a handful can match his skills as a scorer and rebounder.
Old-schoolers would call Randolph a throwback whose intensity and instincts around the basket are reminiscent of legendary center Moses Malone.
Randolph, who agreed over the weekend to a four-year contract extension with the Grizzlies, approaches the game with a simple philosophy that can be summed up in five words.
“I just try to play hard,” said Randolph, a 10-year NBA veteran who played one season at Michigan State before going pro.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich pretty much nailed what makes Randolph the outstanding player he is before the start of San Antonio’s first-round playoff series against Memphis.
“He’s fantastic,” Popovich said. “He just has that natural inclination. Pound the board. Great touch. He’s very unique. It’s just something you can’t coach. He’s just got that and he’s a combination of touch and rebounding acumen. He might be the best in the league at it. He’s just a bear to handle.”
Randolph, who averaged 23 points and 15 rebounds in four games against the Spurs during the regular season, continued to torment the Silver and Black in leading Memphis to a 101-98 victory in Game 1 Sunday at the AT&T Center.
Guarded by veteran Antonio McDyess and second-year pro DeJuan Blair, Randolph hit 10 of 15 shots and finished with a game-high 25 points and 14 rebounds.
The Spurs host the Grizzlies in Game 2 on Wednesday night.
“They’ll probably double-team me a little bit more,” Randolph said Tuesday after practice at the AT&T Center. “We expected that coming into the series. They’ll probably make some adjustments, but we’re going to adjust, too.”
Injured Spurs guard Manu Ginobili is still listed as doubtful for Game 2 with a sprained right elbow, but Memphis coach Lionel Hollins and his players said they expect to see the left-hander play.
“I presumed the first game that he would play,” Hollins said. “I always presume their whole team is going to play until they tell me otherwise.”
Ginobili injured his right elbow in the Spurs’ regular-season finale against Phoenix last Wednesday. Although Ginobili likely won’t be at full speed if he plays, his mere presence on the floor will give the Spurs a boost.
“He’s one of their primary playmakers,” Hollins said. “He lets Tony Parker be in the corner on a wing and he handles the ball on the pick and roll, and now he throws it back out and there’s Tony Parker, who is a jet attacking the basket. They just miss one of their primary playmakers.”
The Grizzlies are the fourth team Randolph, 29, has played on since he was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 19th overall pick of the 2001 NBA draft. He is in his second season with the Grizzlies after getting traded to Memphis in July 2009 by the Los Angeles Clippers.
Randolph played six seasons with the Trail Blazers before getting traded to the New York Knicks in June 2007. He went to the Clippers via another trade in November 2008.
Randolph, a left-hander with a good midrange jumper, averaged 20.1 points and 12.2 rebounds this season.
While Randolph, 6-foot-9 and 260 pounds, is no slouch physically, it’s his relentless play around the basket that separates him from most other power forwards.
“I think if you go and look at all the great rebounders, they either had great athleticism or they had an understanding of where the ball was coming off and then the will to go get the ball,” Hollins said.
Blair couldn’t say enough good things about Randolph after Game 1.
“He’s a great player,” Blair said. “You’ve just got to keep a body on him all the time. He’s a beast. I try to watch him on film and try to get what his tactics are on offensive and defensive boards and his game. He’s got a great game.
“You can’t explain it. I don’t know. It’s just Zach. He knows how to get buckets and get rebounds.”
Randolph complimented Blair, who at 6-foot-7 is an undersized forward/center by any NBA standards.
“Blair is a young monster,” Randolph said. “I love Blair’s game. He reminds me a little bit of myself. He definitely does. He has a lot of energy. He’s got a good knack for the basketball and can rebound real well, and is just good around the rim.”
Randolph could have been describing himself.
utorak, 19.04.2011.
Arizona football: In off-season, Cats say they 'can't take a day for granted
The Arizona Wildcats broke spring camp Saturday eager to embark on a summer filled with … more football.
There's no such thing as an off-season anymore. For the next three months, the Wildcats will lift, run, train, throw and catch with their eyes on improvement.
NCAA rules forbid coach Mike Stoops and his assistants from monitoring the voluntary workouts, but he has made the team's priorities clear.
The UA's run game must continue to evolve, its defense must be more consistent, and perhaps most importantly, its special teams must find a swagger after a slish finish to the 2010 season.
There was plenty to like in Saturday's spring game, Stoops said:
• The Wildcats racked up 462 yards and scored four touchdowns against a defense that was playing without defensive tackle Justin Washington (off-season shoulder surgery) and safety Adam Hall (torn ACL).
• Marquis Flowers, playing the nickelback position, finished with a team-high four tackles and broke up two passes.
• Newcomer Kyle Dugandzic boomed his only punt of the day for 72 yards.
"Overall, I thought it was a pretty good day," Stoops said. "The strength of this football team lies, offensively, with our quarterbacks and receivers. I feel like we have a great group of skill guys."
We asked four Wildcats what they'll be working on between now and the start of training camp. Here's what they said:
Place-kicker Alex Zendejas: "Everything - consistency, being a little quicker, range, all that. It's good that we're all here for the summer - me, the snapper and the holder. We're not where we want to be right now, but that comes with time."
Linebacker Paul Vassallo: "We can't take a day for granted right now. We played well all spring, but we didn't have our best showing (Saturday). Get better and get more cohesive as a unit; make sure we communicate. We've got to clean it up."
Offensive tackle Fabbians Ebbele: "It's a nonstop thing. We need to keep working to get better and better all the time. Communication, footwork, knowing plays, remembering plays. … I'm proud of how we've done. We've come from not doing too good to where we should be. We're making strides every week and every day."
Quarterback Nick Foles: "Continuing to grow together as a group. We have young guys, so developing the young guys, timing on routes, working on routes. So much of college football is recognizing coverages and knowing how to run the routes. That's going to go with film work, too. Doing things, throwing together like we always do."
četvrtak, 03.03.2011.
D-Will becomes Nets’ vision for future
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Billy King slumped into a seat at the round table in his office, took a long gaze toward the grease board hanging on the wall and sighed. “I still have to look to see that it says ‘Deron Williams.’ ”(notes) For months, the New Jersey Nets’ general manager had relentlessly pursued Carmelo Anthony(notes) to move his name out of the board’s column of 2011 free agents and over with the list of Nets names and salaries.
“I always thought that if I got [Anthony], it would lead to my point guard,” King said this week in his office. “And I’ve always leaned to [Williams] a little more than the other one [Chris Paul(notes)] that people were talking about.”
King and assistant GM Bobby Marks had concocted hundreds of multiteam trade possibilities on the walls, forever searching for a scenario in which talks between the New York Knicks and Denver Nets fell apart and the Nets could undercut the Knicks for Anthony. When the Knicks finally cut a deal with the Nets, it wouldn’t be long until one of King’s closest league friends, Utah Jazz GM Kevin O’Connor, called with condolences on losing out with ‘Melo.
Well, they started to talk about deals. Andrei Kirilenko(notes)? Devin Harris(notes)? They tossed out possibilities but nothing fit. And then King raised Williams’ name with a laugh, and O’Connor didn’t dismiss the idea. Soon, they were talking seriously. Within 24 hours, New Jersey had a transformational point guard on the grease board and the floor and &ndash ultimately, the Nets hope &ndash on the recruiting trail.
Along with Rod Thorn’s deal for Jason Kidd(notes) in 2001, this has the chance to be one of the most important trades in the franchise’s history. And maybe King has set in motion the recruitment of Dwight Howard(notes) to Brooklyn in 2012.
Convincing Williams to sign a contract extension in the summer of 2011 could go a long way toward selling Howard on joining him a year later, when the Nets are expected to move into the freshly minted Barclays Center. The Nets have $21 million in salary-cap space slotted for the summer of 2012, and a talented, young center in Brook Lopez(notes) to offer in a potential sign-and-trade deal with the Orlando Magic.
For the Nets to have even a puncher’s chance at Howard, they must be on schedule to move out of Newark for the 2012-13 season. Howard needs to see a shiny new edifice to call his own, and he needs Williams committed to the cause. Even that guarantees nothing except getting the Nets into the derby. Several teams – including the Magic and Dallas Mavericks – are determined to package Howard and Williams together as well.
Once Williams sees the new collective-bargaining agreement, he’ll have a clearer idea of how much it could cost him to leave as a free agent in ’12. Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov has briefly outlined his vision to Williams and told him that they would talk in greater detail soon. Still, the message is unmistakable to him: Whatever you want here, it’s yours.
“When the owner says he’s going to spend money and put people around you, that’s definitely appealing,” Williams said.
The Nets are pitching an open canvas to Williams: From the roster to the new arena, design it as you wish.
With Deron, we can ask, ‘Who do you want to add in ’11 or ’12?’ ” King said. “I can’t think a lot of guys of his caliber were traded to a team that’s going into a new building. So when we start showing him locker-room plans, he may say, ‘Have you guys thought about doing this?’ Or ‘have you guys thought about doing this in the new practice site because I wished we would’ve had that in Utah.’ ”
The Nets need to be careful with Williams. Already, they’re moving fast to push him as the franchise’s face. With the Nets’ CEO breathlessly declaring in a release that they’re “activating” Williams in Newark and soon Brooklyn as the centerpiece of marketing campaigns, they had better be careful not to overly heighten expectations with him. Williams has had 47 assists in three games and yet the Nets are still winless with him. One basketball official who has worked closely with Williams has a warning for the Nets: Be careful with D-Will because less may be more with him.
“He’s not a Hollywood guy,” the official said. “This isn’t ‘Melo. He’s a private person. He’s not going to love the red carpet. He’ll act like he loves it, go along, but that’s not necessarily what he wants. I just hope they don’t try to ask him to compete with Amar’e [Stoudemire] and ‘Melo from a marketing end. … He wants to win and he’ll do anything to win &ndash that’s his priority.”
The Nets will study Williams closely, getting a feel for his wants and needs, but King understands most of all that his job is to surround him with talent. “Winning trumps everything,” Williams said. “I don’t care if you put me in North Dakota.”
If the Nets end up with Williams and Howard, they’ll take them against any duo in the sport. For all the angst over Anthony, the Nets ended up with a complete basketball player in Williams. He touches games in every way – passing and defending, scoring and rebounding. King considers all the frustration over the Anthony talks, and perhaps it was some kind of penance – a prelude – to the brief, painless process to acquire Williams.
“I don’t know how many times I told [Denver GM] Masai [Ujiri], ‘I’m done; I’m out,’ ” King said. “I’m yelling at him, I’m hanging up on him. I’m sending crazy emails at six in the morning. ‘I’m out. Don’t call me.’ And I wouldn’t call him for a week. … And then a text would come … “
And King would be right back to the big board in his office, desperate to find a way to get ‘Melo in ’11 and his point guard in ’12. Only, they ended up with Williams on a shorter contract. And now, the Nets have less than a season and a half to make something happen with him.
For now, they’re showing Williams that he’s no longer limited to the constraints of a structured, staid Jazz franchise. Make no mistake: The Jazz won. They won a lot of games. Only now, Williams gets to take the Nets out of the shadows of Newark and into a bold move to Brooklyn. He gets a chance to recruit a big, big franchise star to come with him in 2012. As much as anything, it’s a wide-open canvas on which a point guard can create.
“[Players] can now have a conversation with Deron,” King said. “We’ve got a team that’s going to be doing this: Deron, Mikhail, Avery [Johnson], Jay-Z, Brook. There’s a group that’s going to do this – like Dwyane Wade(notes) in Miami. Pat Riley and [Heat owner] Micky Arison didn’t just get LeBron and Chris Bosh(notes) to come there. I’m sure Dwyane Wade spent a lot of time to get them down there. I’m sure Amar’e – whether he denies it or not – spent a lot of time talking to Carmelo to come join him.”
Now, it’s Deron Williams’ and New Jersey’s turn. And yet, before Williams can sell everyone else, the Nets need to sell him.
